SSC
The Sekrenyi festival, a festival of purification, is celebrated by the Angami tribe of which state?
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Answer: Option D — Nagaland
Detailed Solution
Sekrenyi is the most important festival of the Angami Naga tribe of Nagaland. It is celebrated every year in February, starting on the 25th day of the Angami month of Kezei, and the celebrations last for about ten days. It is also called "Phousanyi", meaning the festival of purification and sanctification.
Sekrenyi is a festival of purification and renewal, celebrated before the start of the new agricultural season. It is believed to cleanse people of sins and impurities and to bring them good health, prosperity and protection for the coming year. On the first day, the men of the village go to the village well to bathe and purify themselves. Before this, two young men of the village clean the well, and it is then guarded at night so that no one, especially women, can use the water. Early in the morning, the young men bathe and sprinkle the water on their bodies, especially on their knees, chest and right arm, to wash away all impurities. They put on new clothes, and they sacrifice a chicken, whose fall is observed as an omen for the future. The festival also includes the "Thekra Hie", in which young people sit together and sing traditional songs, and community feasts with meat and rice beer. A special ceremony honours the young men who have come of age. During the festival, people do not go to work in the fields.
The Angamis live mainly in the Kohima district and are one of the major Naga tribes. They are known for their terrace rice cultivation, and the village of Khonoma, near Kohima, is famous as India's first "green village", known for its conservation of forests and wildlife.
Other Naga festivals include Moatsu (Ao), Aoleang (Konyak), Tuluni (Sumi), Yemshe (Pochury) and the Hornbill Festival, which brings all the tribes together.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Mizoram is known for Chapchar Kut and Pawl Kut.
- ✗Manipur is known for Lai Haraoba and Yaoshang.
- ✗Meghalaya is known for Wangala and Nongkrem.
Quick tip
Remember: Sekrenyi (Phousanyi) = the Angami tribe of Nagaland, February and the ritual bath of purification.
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Festivals & Fairs of India — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Festivals & Fairs of India, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the religious, harvest, tribal and cultural festivals of India, the fairs (melas) held across the country, and the states, communities and seasons linked to them. It also includes festivals listed by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage, such as Kumbh Mela and Durga Puja in Kolkata. Most questions ask which state celebrates a festival, which tribe it belongs to, or what event it marks. Harvest festivals are especially common: Pongal (Tamil Nadu), Onam (Kerala), Bihu (Assam), Lohri and Baisakhi (Punjab) and Nuakhai (Odisha). Fairs such as the Pushkar camel fair (Rajasthan) and the Sonepur cattle fair (Bihar) are also frequently tested. Revise festivals state by state. Practise the festivals and fairs questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.